During a debate on Thursday 29 September, the report by Daniel Dalton MEP (ECR, United Kingdom) on the approval and monitoring of the motor vehicle market was given a very rough ride by the majority of members on the internal market and consumer protection committee (IMCO), as well as by the European Commission (which is nevertheless known for being very moderate).
Criticism was particularly severe from the S&D and the Greens/EFA Groups, but also from certain members of the ALDE, EPP and even from the EFDD Groups, who denounced the rapporteur's obvious determination to maintain the status quo. The Commission said that it was concerned by the imbalance that Dalton's proposals would provoke on the global architecture of the proposal at the beginning of the year (see EUROPE 11476).
Disapproval was directed at both the form and substance of the report. With regard to its form, Dalton's approach raised a few eyebrows. Although the subject is very technical, the British MEP decided not to provide any introduction or explanation statement. This decision made the rapporteur's approach more opaque, especially because it began with some quasi pro-European tones, overtly criticising the position adopted by some member states in the Volkswagen scandal.
As regards the substance of the report, Dalton proposes scrapping the key articles of the Commission proposal, beginning with Article 9 which allows the Commission to carry out trials and inspections of new vehicles or those on the market and which obliges manufacturers to publish the data required for carrying out compliance tests. He also withdrew the possibility that was indicated by the Commission of imposing administrative fines (Article 90, §1) in order to provide the possibility, instead, of assessing the need to impose such fines, which would subsequently be adopted by implementing acts. Dalton also thought fit to remove the Commission proposal to introduce a type-approval fee system (Article 30). (The Commission sought to cut the problematic financial links between the authorities responsible for approval and the manufacturers.) In addition, the rapporteur proposes increasing the approval validity period from 5 to 8 years, with a possibility for this period to be extended.
One source close to the dossier said that Dalton's tactic of "making things worse" was aimed at avoiding any significant reinforcement being made by the European Parliament to the Commission proposal. MEPs have until 13 October to submit amendments.
The report was also criticised by Karima Delli MEP (Greens/EFA, France), rapporteur for the opinion of the Transport committee. It is true that she had openly expressed a wish for a European market monitoring agency to be set up (see EUROPE 11614). (Pascal Hansens)